LORD’S CRICKET GROUND

LORD’S  GROUND

I have been writing articles on my website ( Stumpchat.com) and on my FB page on  Indian traditional test cricket grounds viz., Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Bengaluru & Mohali and they were appreciated by and commented upon by my friends and relatives.  It has inspired me to write on Cricket grounds of other countries here. 

Hence, I am going to write about the traditional cricket grounds of the United Kingdom, the birthplace of the game.  To start with, Lord’s , the game’s headquarters till 2005, has been chosen for my writing.

LORD’s

 Sachin Tendulkar: “As a kid you have big dreams and one of them was playing at Lord’s. It is extremely special to play here. So there are a lot of fond memories, and one would definitely want to make the most of the outing here . 

RETRO  LIVE :  It was a D-day for Indian cricket.  It was the World cup Finals on 25th June, 1983 between the “invincibles” West Indies and the “Dark Horse” India.  India was defending a paltry 183 runs in the 60 overs match.  Everyone has written off India as “ Pushovers” as their world cup woes in the previous editions were indicators.

And Kapil Dev’s men were not distraught.  In fact they believed in themselves they could upset the apple cart of West Indies juggernaut .  Kapil led from the front by marshaling his forces to the best of their abilities.

Kapil ran backwards in midwicket position quite long to catch a mishit of the West Indies marauder Viv Richards and the rest is history.

A beaming Kapil Dev holding aloft the coveted Prudential WORLD CUP at LORD’S  for the First time for India , a dream for the millions of Indian cricket fans. 

History

Lord’s ground is owned by Marylebone  Cricket Club (MCC) and home to Middlesex county. 

Lord’s today is not on its original site; it is the third of three grounds that Lord established between 1787 and 1814.  It’s first ground, now referred to as Lord’s Old Ground, was where Dorset Square now stands.  It’s second ground, Lord’s Middle ground, was used from 1811 to 1813 before being abandoned to make way for the construction through its outfield of the Regent’s Canal. The present Lord’s ground is about 250 yards (230 m) north-west of the site of the Middle Ground. 

Lord’s with its rich history of 200 years is considered the “Mecca of Cricket” as Thomas Lord founded the world’s most celebrated cricket ground in 1814. A tile with Thomas Lord’s profile in relief at St. John’s Wood Tube railway station in London  is seen there

The stands at Lord’s are 

• Pavilion
• Warner Stand
• Grand Stand
• Compton Stand
• Edrich Stand 
• Mound Stand
• Tavern Stand
• Allen Stand (formerly the “Q Stand”)

Many of the stands were rebuilt in the late 20th century.

Pavilion

The main survivor from the Victorian era is the Pavilion, with its famous Long Room; this was built in 1889–90 to the designs of architect Thomas Verity. This historic landmark— a Grade II*-listed building— underwent an £8 million refurbishment programme in 2004–05. The pavilion is primarily for members of MCC, who may use its amenities, which include seats for viewing the cricket, the Long Room and its Bar, the Bowlers Bar, and a members’ shop .The Pavilion also contains the dressing rooms where players change, each of which has a small balcony for players to watch the play. In each of the two main dressing rooms are honours boards which commemorate all the centuries scored in Test matches or One Day Internationals (ODI) at Lord’s, all instances of a bowler taking five wickets in a Test or ODI innings and all occurrences of a bowler taking ten wickets in a Test match.

BI CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

 The ground has celebrated its Bi-centenary in 2014.  And on that occasion a book titled “A portrait of Lord’s – 200 years pf cricket history” by  Adam Chadwick, Lord’s ground Curator.  I read this book.

Excerpts from the above Book :-

• This book “ A portrait  .. “ marks the opening of a 2 year Bi-centenary  Exhibition highlighting not only the “Crown of the Jewels “ of the collection, but also some of the wonderful range of research projects that have benefitted from re-cataloguing and digitisation of the last 3 years.
• Diana Rait Kerr, died aged 94 years in 2012 devised the classification scheme for the Library which is still in use today and her clear and detailed notes, ledgers and registers have formed an invaluable chronology without which it is no exaggeration to say, the heritage of Lord’s would be inexplicable. Her professional contribution, combined with gifts , involvement and interest of so many MCC members and cricket lovers along with that of her amateur predeceased  Captain T.H. Carlton Levick is responsible for the survival of the rich history of Lord’s.
• There was a Fire at Lord’s ground on 29.7.1825 at Pavilion Building erected in the cricket ground near the school on St. John’s Wood Road.  Lord’s suffered a financial crisis. It was the introduction of a tennis court, shower rooms & billiards tables that prompted much needed membership numbers and consequent capital
• Sir Spencer Cecil Brabazon Ponsby-Fane first played for MCC when he was just 15 years later held the posts of Treasurer and Trustee of MCC till he died at the age of 91, who laid the foundation stone of the PAVILION at Lord’s
• In the Lord’s southwest corner is Liberal Jewish Synagogue.  Sabbath ( a day intended for rest) and religious worship kept by Jews from Friday evening to Saturday evening and by most christians on Sunday.

The current ground celebrated its  Bi-centenary celebrations in 2014. To mark the occasion, on 5 July an MCC XI captained by Sachin Tendulkar  played a Rest of the World XI led by Shane Warne in a 50 overs match which was won by the MCC team led by Sachin Tendulkar .

BOWLER’S BAR BELL 

The Big Ben ( 1.6 ton) bell was commissioned by M/s. John Warner & Sons .  This bell is rung by a visiting dignitary  every day at the start of a Test match.

VAUXHALL PLEASURE GARDENS

       This garden also known as Spring Gardens was opened by the Tyers family in 1661 and reached the height of their popularity in the early 1800s with 20,000 people visiting on one night in 1826.  Their winning formula combined with music, illuminated fountains, fireworks and light refreshments in an Eden-like atmosphere.  The gardens originally combined genteel areas where orchestras played and visitors promenaded in their finery and “dark walks” where couples could enjoy each other’s company in some privacy, if not in comfort.

LORD’s MUSEUM

The Lord’s grounds are home to the Marylebone Cricket Club’s museum; the collection housed here was begun in 1864, while the museum itself was opened by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1953. The museum boasts one of the world’s most celebrated collections of cricket memorabilia, and spans the entire history of the game from its emergence in the 18th century right through to the present.

1. The original Ashes urn, a tiny (it’s only six inches long) 
2.  various uniforms, bats and pieces of kit belonging to history’s greatest players,  in particular W.G. Grace, widely accredited as the best cricketer of all time.  Grace’s  belts, boots, caps, travelling bags, the manuscript of his book “Cricket”. 
3.  India’s Suni Gavaskar also donated his “skull cap” (helmet) and Brian Lara also donated his helmet.
4. Victor Trumper (Australia)’s cap, blazer & pads were donated to MCC by his wife.
5. R.E. Foster, nicknamed “Tip Foster” Captained England both in Cricket and Football also donated his bat.
6. An Aboriginal war club ( like a bat) Dici-a-Dick on the Australian ( first tour) tour to England in 1868 is also available in Lord’s museum. 
7. Baggy green caps used by Don Bradman & Keith Miller  
8. “Warsop” bat used by Denis Compton 
9. Wartime bats

THE WANKHADE STADIUM

The Wankhade stadium

Boom Boom

All the eyes in the ground and people glued  over to TV channels were on the ball sent by the Indian Captain M.S. Dhoni in the 2011 World Cup Final against Srilanka and they all heaved a sigh of relief when  it cleared the rope and there were jubilations all over the ground and the players rushed to the field to congratulate Dhoni and Yuvraj who were at the crease. And India  lifted the glittering World cup 2nd time after a gap of 28 years under the leadership of M.S. Dhoni.. This was one of the familiar scenes at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. 

History 

Bombay , the Lord’s of India, had used 3 grounds to play cricket.In 1933 it used Gymkhana grounds to play India’s First test inIndia.  And then it used Brabourne stadium for 17 tests.

After a  rift with the Cricket Club of India at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai, the Mumbai Cricket Association wanted to have its own stadium.

The Seshrao Krushnarao Wankhede Stadium was built in 1975 owned by Mumbai Cricket Association at a cost of Rs.1.87 crore in a record time of 11 months and 23 days.

Stands :  Sunil Gavaskar, North Stand, Vijay Merchant, Sachin Tendulkar, MCA

Pavilion, Divecha Pavilion, Garware Pavilion

End names :  Garware Pavilion end  and Tata end

This new stadium hosted its first ever international match on 23rd January 1975 for the touring West Indies for the final 5th Test here.  And the Windies romped home with a whopping margin of 201 runs when Clive Lloyd hit his career bestof 242 runs unbeaten and with that the series also by 3-2 margin.  And it was M.A.K. Pataudi’s last hurrah of international cricket.

The seaside location of the Wankhede stadium meant that swing bowlers got a fair amount of assistance during the early part of each day and again in the final session when the sea breeze set in. However, when the stands were rebuilt ahead of the 2011 World Cup, these effects reduced somewhat. The pitch has traditionally been full of runs, but the red soil ensures that there is some help for spinners during the last couple of days of a five-day game.

For the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), redeveloping the Wankhede Stadium up to international standards was a non-negotiable aspect. It had to be since it  had decided to host the 2011 World Cup Final there.

The illumination requirement was finalised to galvanized polygonal stadium mast with highly efficient 2 kW sports floodlight luminaire, which would ensure high-quality floodlighting and make it suitable for HDTV transmission. With such a major upgrade in such a tight deadline, MCA turned to the masters in the illumination business, Bajaj Electricals Ltd., for a game-changing assist.

BEL brought in a specialised project execution team for this task. The entire project was further segregated into two major blocks to simplify the complexity of the task at hand.

 Lighting Design:

• Huge canopy obstructions over the spectator’s stand, which were a part of the renovation, led to an enormous shadow being cast on the field of play (FOP) area
• Acute space constraint at the site led to asymmetrical location of all four masts. BEL had to adhere to requirements of vertical illuminance level w.r.t. all camera locations, balancing between vertical and horizontal illuminance level as well as providing proper uniformity level on the playing arena
• Also, Bajaj had to restrict light spillage as there were residential properties nearby. Light pollution was another aspect that had to be taken into consideration while executing the project

 Project Execution:

• Acute space constraint for handling the erection of masts at designated locations
• No space for movement of crane for installing masts
• Near proximity of western railway high tension line to the masts. Several objections from railway division for the same!
• No space for storing the material at site, resulting in unnecessary back and forth and the timelines getting affected several times

The Results

BEL adhered to all the requirements, and successfully executed and commissioned the project within the set deadlines. The MCA management committee appreciated Bajaj’s project execution skillset as well as efficient lighting solution.

WANKHEDE SUCCESS

The Mumbai Cricket Association had held a design competition for selection of an architect for the project. We are very happy on being selected through this process. There-upon began a long and memorable journey.

DESIGN IDEA

To achieve a sense of closeness between players and spectators during the game is the central idea of our design for this stadium. To achieve unity and oneness in the architecture and structure in-spite of the many functional divisions and variations in the spatial quality of spaces within the stadium has been our objective too. An innate aesthetic quality of spaces has been achieved through the use of distinct colours, seen and experienced inside and outside from the field.  Attention has also been paid to provide interesting experiences in all the spaces- in- transition, the many entrances, accesses, avenues and passages, through distinct lighting, colours and flooring.

A good proportion of quality public conveniences have ensured spectators comfort and dignity. Large numbers and well-distributed designed toilets, drinking water and hospitality counters add to the spectators joy. Seven entrance gates, twenty staircases, eighteen lifts, and thirty-five emergency exits, ensures faster movement and high standard of safety. All public areas are monitored for security purposes through the installation of one hundred and ninety cameras, networked and connected to a central monitoring room. Also all the services such as water supply and distribution, air-conditioning in specific areas, smoke detectors, fire- alarm systems and power supply are monitored at a central BMS room. All the basic amenities and design standards have been in conformity with ICC norms and guidelines.

The 25metre cantilevered roof is the most interesting feature of the proposed stadium. It completely opens up the stands as no pillars or supports come in the way of the spectator’s view.

It has been a daunting but enjoyable task. The execution of the stadium right from its foundation including piling and large basements has been built in a period of just 19 months. Designs, drawings and execution details were produced at breakneck speed to match this schedule. Our office has prepared over 650 drawings to ensure that every detail including the interiors was available to the contractors on time. Also we worked along with a host of Consultants for structural design, electrical, HVAC, security, access control, high mast lighting etc. to evolve consistent ideas and concepts and also ensure that the execution drawings and their integration were well coordinated.

Client: Mumbai Cricket Association

Area: 35,000 Sqmt. Cost: Rs. 25000 Lac

ContractorS: Larsen & Toubro (Civil Work)

Consultants: Shrikhande Consultants (PMC), Mahimtura Consultants, D S G Consultants, M E P Consultants, ARKK Consultants, Moloy Ganguly, X-teria, Elmark Engineers.

Supporting Architects: Mohammed Ali Momin (Associate) Bhoomika Paralkar, Amruta Sakalkar, Tushar Dure, Yogita Nayak, Umesh Korgaonkar.

Infrastructure

Built within 6 months after considering S.K. Wankhede’s suggestion, the Wankhede Stadium is one of the most prestigious stadiums in India. There are 7 stadium stands and three stands have all been named after great cricket players such as, Sunil Gavaskar, Vijay Merchant and Sachin Tendulkar. The main gates to the stadium ground are named after Polly Umrigar and Vinoo Mankad. Excellent facilities at this stadium include comfortable seats, floodlights and quality food courts located close to the stands to suit the needs of the spectators. The hanging cantilever roofs do not have a beam support, which ensures a better view of the ground. There are 20 lifts that operate between the North and the South Stands of the stadium.

RENOVATION

Originally designed in 1974, The Wankhede Stadium had 13 acres which  was dwindled to 7.5 acres after space was allotted for the Garware Club House.  Then stadium was renovated by Sahshi Prabhu & Associates in 2009, as the Mumbai Cricket Association got ready to pitch for the Cricket World Cup 2011. The firm took up the challenge of upgrading this structure to world-class standards. 

The new stadium was reconstructed in just 14 months with a brand new cantilevered fabric roof with an obstruction free view. The total capacity of the stadium was reduced to 35,000 spectators; however, 72 luxury private boxes were added to the stadium. The roofing system was also upgraded to a cantilevered type so as to eliminate the supporting columns to facilitate obstruction free viewing and also fitted with an underground sprinkler system . 

The key features of the stadium include comfortable and safe player’s and VIP areas, dedicated press and commentators’ boxn to accommodate 250 media personnel, underground drainage system, adequate restroom and concession facilities, flood light system. The hard benches were replaced by bucket seats.  

PITCH

The seaside (arabian sea) situated means that the swing bowlers get a fair amount

of assistance during the early part of each day.  Red soil is used to prepare the pitch which

ensures consistency and bounce.  Pitch has also been a slow turner.  It had been traditionally full of runs but also helped the spinners during the last couple of days.

Almost exactly a decade after his farewell game here, the stadium honoured its favourite son with a statue